Begin mac development: which is the best?

Hi,
as you already now I am new in this forum...
I want to begin programming: the tools that I own are Revolution Media and Flash CS3 beyond to XCode 3. Which is the best to begin? I don't want to use XCode, please, it's too complicated!!

Hi,
as you already now I am new in this forum...
I want to begin programming: the tools that I own are Revolution Media and Flash CS3 beyond to XCode 3. Which is the best to begin? I don't want to use XCode, please, it's too complicated!!

Click to expand...

Well Xcode is the only IDE that offers the choice of programming languages. Unfortunately if you want to learn how to program you might have to dedicate some time to learning about it. I assure you though that it is rewarding .

Never heard of Revolution Media, but Flash is not programming language nor is it a scripting language with that many uses when compared to something like Python.

Hi,
as you already now I am new in this forum...
I want to begin programming: the tools that I own are Revolution Media and Flash CS3 beyond to XCode 3. Which is the best to begin? I don't want to use XCode, please, it's too complicated!!

Click to expand...

"programming" in this context means to develope executable code that runs under Mac OS X as an application. If you mean "programming" in this way then those tools you have are of no use.

If you want to learn and you don't like xcode then I suggest yu start with some very simple comand line programs. Try writting something that alows you to type in words and then whaen you are done it tell you how many words you typed. You will need to pick a programming language. Choose one that ships with mac OS X.

Later you will have to move on to xcode (or write your own Makefiles) if you want to write "real" Mac applications

I'm not familiar with "Revolution Media" either, but I will say, there's a niche market for coding up games using nothing but Flash. It's commonly used for web-based childrens' educational games. (Look at a site like www.nickjr.com or www.pbskids.org, for example.)

Ultimately though, products like Flash are really just designed to make animated video, moving 3D text and the like on a web site. Using them to write actual "software" stretches the limits of their capabilities - and is only appropriate for limited uses, like the above-mentioned kids' games.

It seems pretty clear to me that if you want to write "real" software for OS X, you have to delve into XCode. That's the officially sanctioned development tool from Apple. Historically, the 3rd. party alternatives left people hanging out to dry when Apple did OS X upgrades that broke support for the code they generated.

Well Xcode is the only IDE that offers the choice of programming languages. Unfortunately if you want to learn how to program you might have to dedicate some time to learning about it. I assure you though that it is rewarding .

Never heard of Revolution Media, but Flash is not programming language nor is it a scripting language with that many uses when compared to something like Python.

I want to begin programming: the tools that I own are Revolution Media and Flash CS3 beyond to XCode 3. Which is the best to begin? I don't want to use XCode, please, it's too complicated!!

Click to expand...

I'm not familiar with RunRev's products myself, but if you like using Revolution Media you could always investigate Revolution Studio as a possible upgrade path.

That said, what's best for you will really depend on what sort of stuff you're wanting to do, and how much time you're able/willing to spend learning new tools and knowledge. If you want more specific advice, you'll need to give more information.

I'd suggest starting with REALbasic. It's simple enough for you to learn the concepts and doesn't lack in expandability. Although, when you become a more matured developer, you'll want to move onto Cocoa with XCode.

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